Spanish · A1 · Everyday language
Who, what, where? in Spanish
Learn how to ask the fundamental questions that fuel a child's curiosity. In Spanish, question words always carry an accent mark when used in questions.
What you'll learn
- Identify common Spanish question words
- Form basic questions for daily interactions
- Understand the use of accent marks in interrogatives
Spanish phrases for who, what, where?
¿Quién es ese?
Who is that?
Use 'esa' if referring to a female.
¿Qué es esto?
What is this?
'Esto' is gender-neutral for unknown objects.
¿Dónde está el gato?
Where is the cat?
Use 'está' for locations.
¿Cuándo nos vamos?
When are we going?
Literally 'When do we leave ourselves?'
¿Por qué lloras?
Why are you crying?
'Por qué' (two words) is 'Why'; 'Porque' (one word) is 'Because'.
¿Cómo funciona?
How does it work?
The subject 'it' is omitted in Spanish.
¿Cuál quieres?
Which one do you want?
'Cuál' is used when choosing between options.
¿Cuántos hay?
How many are there?
Use 'cuántas' if counting feminine objects.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
Quién
Who
Becomes 'quiénes' if referring to multiple people.
Dónde
Where
Always has an accent on the 'o' in questions.
Cómo
How
Also used to say 'What?' or 'Pardon?' if you didn't hear someone.
Question Marks and Accents
Spanish uses an opening inverted question mark (¿) at the start and a standard one (?) at the end. Additionally, question words always have an accent mark.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| What | Qué | ¿Qué quieres? |
| Where | Dónde | ¿Dónde está? |
| Why | Por qué | ¿Por qué? |
More examples
¿Dónde está tu zapato?
Where is your shoe?
Common morning question for parents.
¿Qué haces?
What are you doing?
A very useful phrase for curious parents.
¿Cuántos años tienes?
How old are you?
Literally 'How many years do you have?'